Hay is an important feed for cows, horses, goats, and other ruminants. Traditionally, hay was harvested and stacked for drying by hand. However, since the industrial revolution, harvesting, baling and stacking hay has become increasingly more mechanized. Initially, mechanization was developed to bale hay in small rectangular hay bales. A major improvement in the hay baling art was the development of large round hay balers. These round balers collect cut hay from the ground, roll it to produce a round hay bale that is many times larger than traditional square bales. These round bales are quite efficient as the round baler compresses the harvested crop mat. Using a large round baler improves the efficiency of a baling operation as less bales are required, as compared to square bales, which reduces the amount of bales that must be made, moved or used
While the development of large round hay bales is an improvement over the prior art, the use of large round hay bales presents certain problems. Namely, large round hay bales are heavy, dense and therefore they are difficult to pick up, move and control. In addition, due to the fact that often times hay is cut on more-marginal or variable land, using machinery to pick up and move large round bales on rolling or hilly terrain can be difficult, dangerous and inefficient. I addition, due to the fact that farming operations are growing and becoming more mechanized, it is becoming difficult to meet the efficiency and cost demands required by modern farming operations with conventional equipment.
Thus a primary object of the present invention is to provide a device that improves the efficiency of moving large round hay bales.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a device that improves the safety of moving large round hay bales.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a device that improves that amount of control a user has when moving large round hay bales.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a device that easily allows for more than one large round hay bale to be picked up and moved at a time.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a device that is simple and easy to use.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a device that is inexpensive.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a device that is rigid and durable while being adjustable.
These and other objects, features, or advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the specification, drawings and claims.